Thousands raised for junior golf

The 29th Golf Foundation Pro-Am raises significant sum to continue growing the game

GOLFERS from the worlds of business, media and sport all joined forces at the London Golf Club to celebrate growing the game and to raise more than £15,000 for the Golf Foundation.

EXPERTISE

It was the 29th time the Golf Foundation Pro-Am has been staged and it received strong backing from the European Tour, with a number of tour pros, including Argentinian Estanislao Goya, in attendance to pass on their expertise to the amateurs.

The golf, auction and dinner created an excellent fundraising opportunity for the Golf Foundation and they raised a sizeable sum to go towards making golf more accessible to young people.

All of the money raised will be spent on the Foundation’s HSBC Golf Roots programme, which grows golf participation among young people and offers the ‘Skills for Life’ benefits the game is renowned for.

In the team competition, ‘The Kent Massive’ ran out victors courtesy of a countback, just edging the quartet representing the PGA into second place.

The winners received the Wickham Shield from guest of honour Hugh Wickham of the European Tour. He has been the leader of the event since it was launched almost 20 years ago.

KNOWLEDGE

The London Golf Club team took advantage of their local knowledge to finish third, while the ‘Women & Golf’ fourball secured the final prize in fourth position.

A highlight of the day was the ‘Nearest The Pin’ Challenge on the difficult par-3 eighth hole over water, with the winner receiving a finely-crafted watch from British timepiece maker, ETIQUS.

Brendon Pyle, chief executive of the Golf Foundation, thanked everyone for being part of the fundraising day.

“The money will be spent wisely on our school, community and golf club projects which offer children from all backgrounds an opportunity to play and take their golf further, while learning valuable life skills from the game,” said Pyle.

“A key focus of our work is to increase participation and retain more young players. During the last year, HSBC Golf Roots created more than 3,500 new junior club members but it’s not just about numbers. This charity is seeking to inspire young people and their families to get the most out of their golf and learn from the game as they develop as people.”